Inference and Questions with Street Child
Year 6 English Developing comprehension skills Making inferences about characters
Learning Objectives
Make inferences about characters' feelings and motives Use evidence from the text to support our ideas Ask meaningful questions to deepen understanding Support inferences with precise text references
What is Street Child?
Historical novel by Berlie Doherty Set in Victorian London Follows Jim, a young boy surviving on the streets Based on the true story of Dr. Barnardo's work
What is Inference?
Reading between the lines Using clues from the text to understand what's not directly stated Like being a detective with the story Finding evidence to support our ideas
Inference Success Criteria
Use textual evidence from the story Consider the author's word choice carefully Think about the context of the scene Explain what your inference reveals about the character
Guided Reading: Finding Clues
Listen as we read together Notice Jim's actions and reactions Pay attention to descriptive words Think about what these clues tell us
Paired Inference Activity
Work with your partner to find two inferences Use the two-column table: Inference | Evidence Highlight clues in your text Be ready to share your discoveries
What Questions Help Us Understand?
Why might Jim feel this way? How does this action reveal his character? What would you do in Jim's situation? What might happen next and why?
Question Creation Challenge
Write 3 questions on your post-it notes Focus on 'why' and 'how' questions Base questions on your inferences Think about what you want to understand better
Reflection and Next Steps
What did you discover about making inferences? How can questions improve your reading? What evidence was most convincing? How will you use these skills with other books?